At the Top
by RegalFolf320
Summary: Mysterious goings-on behind the story of Chain of Memories. Marluxia's deeper, truer thoughts are revealed, as are those of a couple other Org. members. Features canon concepts from the game along with a couple fun twists.


A lone Dusk drifted through the empty, white corridors in the Castle That Never Was. Its movements were deliberate; it wasn t wandering, it had somewhere to be. It gracefully slid itself under the door at the end of one hall, then stood, swaying as Dusks do, as it looked at the man before it. The man was facing away, but it was clear he knew the Dusk was there. The Dusk slowly slunk forward a couple steps, the zipper on its faceless head coming open as it did so.

"The Superior wishes you to meet with Number Seven in the Grey Area, my liege."

The tall, quiet man turned slowly, looking at the creature with no clear expression. The lesser Nobodies were interesting, and surprisingly useful. The man frowned despite himself, and the Dusk, sensing disapproval, backed off. It knew better than to mess with the stronger Nobodies, especially this one; he was known to be lethal, even for one of his own. But the unpleasant look was not directed at the Dusk. In fact, it really wasn t directed at anything. The man sighed.

"Very well," he said in a neutral tone of voice, "you may go."

The Dusk bowed its head slowly, then drifted away. As it did, the man in the long, black coat slowly headed for the Grey Area.

Soon, several of Organization XIII s members stood in the Grey Area, awaiting briefing. The Organization s seventh member and second-in-command, Saix, entered the room calmly and stood before them. He nodded in greeting to all of them.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly," he said, "I have a very important mission for all of you. As you may know, the Superior is nearly ready to begin the Castle Oblivion plan. You are the team he has selected for this mission, based upon what you each can bring to the plan." Saix took a moment to shuffle some papers, flipping through them.

"Marluxia," he continued, "the Superior has decided to entrust you with leading this endeavor. You will be held responsible for its success. Or failure."

Marluxia, the man to whom the Dusk had delivered its message, flipped his long, beautiful pink hair just slightly, feigning a smile of pleased surprise. Larxene, the only female member of the Organization, rolled her eyes, her arms crossed. Marluxia was such a drama queen. He loved playing things up to mess with people.

"Well, well," Marluxia crooned, "isn't this a nice surprise."

Saix did not acknowledge the gestures, nor the comment. He proceeded to continue the briefing.

"Vexen," he said, glancing at the older man on the other end of the room, who was currently giving Marluxia a look of pure loathing, "your role should be obvious. You are to create the replica of the Keyblade Wielder's friend, to aid in the progress of the plan. Be sure to make it as similar to the boy as possible; we must be certain it will succeed in fooling the one called Sora."

Vexen huffed, offended by the insinuation that his work would be anything less than flawless. He pulled his face into a respectful line, being smart enough to know not to complain.

"Of course, Seven," he replied coolly, barely keeping the edge out of his voice, "I would think of nothing less than perfection." He tossed in a tiny kiss-up smile.

"After all," he added slyly, "it's for the good of the Organization."

This, too, Saix ignored.

_The both of them.._.he thought briefly, _always vying for advancement. One tries to sneak it, and the other attempts to earn points with the Superior by playing nice. He sighed softly beneath his breath, then finished dealing out the orders. He nodded to the group._

"You are to head out to the Castle tomorrow," he commanded. "Early, to prepare for the arrival of the Keyblade Wielder."

Everyone nodded slowly, showing clear understanding. No one had any clear arguments. Saix nodded in return.

"Dismissed," he said quietly, before leaving.

Marluxia smirked, glancing over at Vexen. The Organization's resident mad scientist had a severe issue with ranking. Marluxia knew it pissed him off that even as Number Four, and one of the founding members of the Organization, he had lost the leadership role. To add insult to injury: It was Marluxia who had taken it, plucking it so casually from his grasp.

_Oh, I ll be enjoying this quite a bit._ He mused. _Not only a taste of the near future, but a chance to make our dear Vexen writhe in envy._

Vexen, of course, had already turned his spiteful gaze back on Marluxia. What was Xemnas thinking, making that fool the one in charge? Everyone knew that Xemnas bore almost no real trust in Marluxia. So what reason could he have for this? Vexen huffed again, turning away. He thought darkly to himself as he walked away.

_No matter..._he smirked as he passed Marluxia, knowing he'd see it. _I can use this as an opportunity to monitor him. If he starts trying to pull anything sneaky, I can simply use it to my advantage. Xemnas will reward me if I manage to prove his suspicions about Marluxia s motives..._

"...You're really stupid, you know that?"

The voice came from Marluxia s left side. It was Larxene. He glanced at her coyly.

"Hm? I'm not sure I catch your meaning," he purred, smiling slightly. He liked playing mind games, and getting people worked up by being indirect. Something about it was...more than just fun..._empowering_.

Larxene frowned, sighing loudly. She pointed a finger accusingly at his forehead.

"Come on, don't play that game with me, Marluxia," she snapped. She hated his little games. It was fine to watch him toy with everyone else, but he was the one person she could stand. Plus, she hated being teased.

"We both know what's really going on here," she continued, becoming more irritated as Marluxia's wry smile grew slightly, "Vexen's not just playing chemist in all this. You know as well as I do that Xemnas is sending him to watch you, Marluxia. Because he knows Vexen's so desperate to gain ground that he'll go running back to Xemnas with the slightest word of anything you might be up to."

Marluxia tilted his head, smile turning almost simpering. He tilted Larxene's chin up with a couple fingers.

"Ah, but you forget me, Larxene," he murmured, "I always have a plan. Besides, everyone else is already more than willing to aid in my little side-project."

He frowned slightly, glancing at the one person besides himself and Larxene who hadn't left. _**Almost** everyone..._

Axel grinned, spotting the look. He waved, as if he'd only just seen them. Marluxia s face remained impassive. Axel...He liked to pretend to joke around, but he was much smarter than he led on.

_He thinks too much...And he's sneaky..._ Marluxia thought calmly to himself. _But I can find a way to keep him out of my way..._

Axel's grin dulled a bit, and he chuckled a bit to himself as he finally left.

"Poor Marluxia," he mumbled once he was out of earshot, "he's so tense. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was suspicious of me."

The spikey-maned pyro grinned wide again.

"Oh well," he commented to no one, "I guess that's his problem. After all, I'm just goin' along for the ride."

Larxene slapped Marluxia's hand away from her face, gripping the offending fingers tightly. Her scowl grew.

"Don't be stupid," she growled at him, "you're better than that. I just hope you can find the line between playing your little games and just plain pushing your luck. Or else."

She released his fingers, all but throwing the hand aside. Then she snorted derisively and walked out. She liked Marluxia, to a point. For whatever reason, he was the one guy here she didn't want to put every last one of her knives through. Him, and **maybe** Axel. But that was just because Axel was so much fun to mess with. She sighed heavily. Marluxia may have been the closest thing she had to a friend in this hell, but he was still a major asshole. But what can you expect from a man with no heart?

The next day, the small group of Nobodies gathered, travelling to Castle Oblivion through the corridors of Darkness. Marluxia immediately began giving instructions, sending Zexion and Lexaeus to prepare for their part of the plan. The boy Riku, the Keyblade Wielder's precious friend of whom Vexen would be making a replica, was also on his way; it would be very important to keep the two apart. Marluxia finished getting everyone settled with their own work, then warped through the Darkness to a room high in the top of the Castle.

There sat a very petite, pretty girl, around the Keyblade Wielder s age. She had lovely, shoulder-length blond hair that lay neatly over one shoulder, and big, bright blue eyes. She kept her head down as Marluxia walked casually over. She flinched slightly when he set his hand on the arm of her chair. She hadn't hardly interacted with him yet, but she was already very afraid of him. He had this way about him, this intimidating presence. Even without moving or speaking, he managed to be scary. But now, he was close to her. Leaning over the back of the chair to talk to her. He liked to do things like that, too; she'd seen him do things like that to the others. She shivered slightly.

Marluxia's lips glided into a small smile, his tone becoming silky. He carefully leaned in near her, not getting too close, but getting close enough to make it clear he meant business.

"Don't be afraid," Namine he purred in her ear, trying to simultaneously reassure her and make her remember how dangerous he was.

Namine was silent, staring uncomfortably at her knees, on which rested her hands. She couldn't bring herself to respond; she was too scared of this man to open her mouth. She knew it was because he had no heart that he was this way, at least...to some point. She didn't want to believe he could have been this kind of person before he became a Nobody.

_True,_ she thought, _he would have had some of these traits he's displaying, but...they couldn't have been **this** bad..._

Marluxia's smile faded a bit as he walked very slowly around to the front of the chair, taking long, deliberate steps that echoed through the large, white room. He looked up, staring into the distance.

"You really don't need to be afraid of me," he repeated, "as long as you do what you're told, of course." His smile turned slightly dark as he looked at her again.

Namine glanced ever-so-carefully up at him, raising her eyes but not her head. Marluxia saw the sadness there, mixed in with the fear. For some reason, it irritated him. She was a Nobody, but by what standard? Born in a different way, with powers no other being or non-being had, and able to show emotions that seemed all too painfully genuine...He'd be glad when this mission was over and he could be rid of her. He smiled to himself, looking off into his daydreams again, for a moment.

_Yes,_ he thought, _and I will finally have my rightful place. I will remake this pitiful excuse for an Organization in my own image, my own ideals. I will be a far better leader than Xemnas could ever be. Just as I should have been all along._

He shook his head slowly, bringing himself back to the present. He smiled again, that eerie, intention-masking smile of his, and set a surprisingly gentle hand atop Namine s head, leaning down to her eye level. Namine flinched again, her eyes dropping.

_He's so scary...but I won't let him break me down. I can't...I must be strong._

"I hope you're ready, Namine," Marluxia suggested, his voice smooth and calm, which only gave her a stronger sense of unease, "your hero will be here any minute now." He paused, smiling wider.

"Play nice, now. We wouldn't want him to get hurt, now would we?"

Namine gasped slightly, looking up. But Marluxia was gone.

Sora arrived at the strange castle a little bit after nightfall. The biggest thing he noticed was how bizarre it looked; the whole thing was like a multi-layer cake someone had rearranged. The floors looked like they'd been cut out and stuck on the sides, the towers were hanging upside down and sideways, and nothing at all seemed to be where it should, aside from the massive front door. Sora led his companions, Donald and Goofy, up to the unusual building. The place had a weird feeling about it, even out here. But he felt like he needed to go inside; something was calling him. So he pushed the door open slowly, and the three friends walked inside.

"Where are we," Sora wondered aloud as he looked around. The whole room was white; the walls, the floor, even the long, narrow rugs and flower-filled vases on the side tables along the wall. White, everywhere he looked. It was almost weirder than the outside. _Almost._

"This is Castle Oblivion," a strange voice said, drawing the trio's attention, "where to find is to lose, and to lose is to find."

Sora frowned. Who - or what - was this? It seemed human in shape, but it was covered by a floor-length black coat, with a hood drawn around its head. The brave young hero drew his Keyblade.

"Who are you?"

"Heartless!" cried Donald, attempting to use his magic.

Deep in his head, Marluxia laughed. This was already turning out to be very interesting, indeed. He explained to the three would-be heroes about the rules of this castle; Sora would have to use strange, crown-shaped cards to make his way through the castle, as well as to fight enemies, and his friends too would be sealed in cards. He would have to learn to use them wisely and to grab the Friend Cards when they appeared. Marluxia smiled beneath his hood at the look on Sora s face when he said "_If_ you value your friends, you ll pick them up without fail." It was a look of anger, and defiance. It was a look that dared Marluxia to question Sora's feelings about his friends again. It was no wonder this boy was so valuable to the Organization. There was definitely something special about him. A fire that burned brighter inside his heart than anything else in any World.

_This will be a very promising endeavor indeed..._ Marluxia mused. With a final, cryptic message, he disappeared, leaving the hero to begin his new adventure.

"Nice to see you're having fun."

It was Larxene again. It would have to be, as she was the only person who truly had the nerve to approach Marluxia from behind with no warning. Marluxia turned slightly to look at her, keeping his hood up.

Larxene looked impassive, at least for the most part. Marluxia knew better; she was still angry with him. That, and she was simply impatient, wanting her own chance to play with the hero. But that would have a while to wait. He gave no response. He knew this would annoy her further, but he simply had nothing to say.

She glanced at him out of the corners of her eyes, watching him.

_He's such an ass._ She grumbled mentally, just watching him as he watched the events unfold.

"What," she snapped, finally breaking the mask of calm, "too good to talk to me, now? You're still a **long** way from being the new leader, you know!"

Marluxia pulled back his hood at last, smiling calmly. That only made her angrier. He was always doing that. Always smiling that cocky smile, like nothing ever got to him. She glared at him, which only made him smile more. He lightly raised a hand, in which he held a gorgeous flower; it was a pink oleander, Marluxia s own signature. A beautiful flower, to be sure. But its beauty hid a dark secret; it was an extremely toxic plant. One wrong touch could easily result in death. A very fitting symbol for someone like Marluxia. _A beautiful face that hides ugly motives. Gorgeous on the outside, and poisonous on the inside._

Larxene made a face. Was he being cryptic again, or just weird? There was something about him and his plants...It wasn't just flowers, either. She shook her head.

_He treats them like they're his kids or something. So weird. But I guess we all have our issues._

"I have no reason to stop communicating with you, Larxene. Even when I have my place at the top, you will remain as the only person I truly trust," the Graceful Assassin murmured, gazing at the flower as if looking into a mirror. He put it away, looking at her with an expression that made it plain how he really felt; his eyes told her what she had said was stupid to him. Of course he wasn't going to waste the value of the one person who didn't completely despise him.

At least not yet. Larxene tolerated him, even liked him to a point, because he was the one person she felt was worth her time and respect. Truth be told, it wasn't a matter of him being on her level; he could break her like a twig without trying, and she knew that. It made her angry to think about it, which is why she usually didn't. But in moments like this, it came bubbling back to the surface like lava, and she couldn't keep herself under control.

"Ooohhh, woooww," she cried in mock ecstasy, holding her face. "You mean I'm _special_?" She dropped the look and tone, glaring at him.

"Please," she hissed, "like I even care about that. I just don't appreciate being ignored, and you know that, too. Why do you insist on playing up the fucking drama all the time?"

Marluxia stared past her. He didn't speak for a very long minute. Then he turned around and walked off a few steps.

"Would you deny me the only fun I m allowed as a Nobody?" He glanced over his shoulder, then warped out of the room.

Larxene let out an angry snarl, stomping a foot. Her hands clenched. He was just so infuriating! She sighed in pure exasperation and walked off. Maybe she d go tease Axel for a while. He could be pretty fun to mess with sometimes, and it d give her an excuse to stop thinking about Marluxia and his goddamn riddles.

Marluxia met with Sora again, just as the hero had finished making it through the memory of Traverse Town.

"How was it," he said, hidden by his hood again, "did you enjoy meeting your memories?"

There it was again; that hateful, defiant face. Marluxia enjoyed seeing looks like that on the faces of others, but only so long as his own actions or words were the cause. He took in Sora s responses as he had before: with calm, unyielding mystery. But when he moved to begin a battle, who should appear but Axel?

"Hey," the fire-slinging troublemaker said with a smirk, "don't hog the hero!"

Marluxia resisted a long-suffering sigh. But still he tossed his cards to Axel. Why not let him play around a little? As long as things stayed on track, Marluxia could stand aside and watch someone else do the work.

"Try not to break him," he ordered quietly as he walked by Axel. Axel's resulting grin irritated him, but he didn't allow this irritation to show. He simply walked up the short set of stairs and disappeared.

Things progressed well. Both Sora and Riku were moving at a very good pace, and now Vexen's creation, appropriately nicknamed Repliku, was working Sora like a lump of dough. Sora struggled in the fights they engaged in, and just barely held his own. Riku was strong, and Vexen had clearly managed to recreate that strength. On another note, Larxene had had quite a blast taunting the boy about Namine. Marluxia felt himself being reminded of why he often enjoyed Larxene's company. She was almost as good at working people s feelings as he was. Although, her tactics were simplistic; she worked to anger Sora and drive him to push harder. Nothing more. Marluxia would probably have gone a more subtle route, but...oh well.

Marluxia had to admit, despite his distaste for the scientist, that the man knew his craft very well. Why else would Repliku be able to bring Sora so close to tears? The heartbreak in Sora's eyes was delicious, and Marluxia could appreciate it greatly despite the fact that he himself lacked any involvement. He would never allow Vexen to know how he approved of the project.

Of course, then the replica was defeated at last. And it turned out there was no real profit made from it. Sora s heart was too strong. He'd realized the thing with his best friend's face was not, in fact, Riku. Marluxia sighed. Now he'd have to go administer discipline. He entered the room just as Larxene was using her...abrasive...personality to push Vexen further over the edge.

"Oh, so sorry, Vexen!" Larxene's voice was simpering, mocking him.

Vexen made a face of disdain, snapping at her.

"Silence!"

Marluxia waited outside the range of their notice. He laughed inwardly. Vexen's response was so impulsive, and hollow. It was the voice of a man pretending he had any control. And yet the Chilly Academic expected people to _respect_ him. Ha!

Larxene made a face of bitter disappointment. She'd obviously been hoping he'd put up a better fight. That his reply would be more biting, to feed her desire for a verbal eye-gouging.

"Typical response," she said in a tone to match her expression, "forget it. Men without hearts are _so_ boring."

Marluxia casually entered, and things immediately heated. He made his thoughts about Vexen s failure known, and was returned with Vexen s usual, pathetic attempts at acting as if he were better...more important.

"May I remind you that in this Organization, _you_ are Number Eleven! Meanwhile, _I_ am Number Four, and I will not have you-"

Vexen backed up suddenly, narrowly avoiding being slashed as Marluxia brought his scythe down to point at Vexen. Marluxia gave the latter a dangerous look, speaking in a firm tone.

"I have been entrusted this castle **and** Namine by our leader," Marluxia stated. "Defying me will be seen as treason..._against_ the Organization."

Vexen smirked. He _smirked._ Marluxia's blood boiled, and he didn't bother masking the displeasure. He would ensure Vexen got the punishment he deserved for his impudence. But that could wait. For now, he simply pushed the conflict down and sent Vexen to try his own hand at battling Sora. With a warning not to fail again, Marluxia left. When he glanced back, Vexen was still smirking.

"**Another** failed experiment," Marluxia mused aloud as he approached Vexen. The older Nobody had, in fact, failed to defeat the boy. Given, they still needed Sora to complete the mission, but breaking him was part of the plan. To get him to work harder. To give them more of his memories. Everything else was working well enough, but Marluxia had lost all patience with Vexen s failed attempts. It was almost as if he wasn't even trying, or worse, that he was.

Vexen seemed jumpy. He whirled at the first sound of Marluxia s voice. His eyes were a little wider than usual, and Marluxia smiled darkly, sensing the panic. He stepped closer, and resisted smiling more when Vexen backed off a step.

"What's wrong, Vexen," Marluxia almost purred, savoring the moment, "you seem..._nervous._"

Vexen frowned slightly, attempting to regain his stance of defiant, misled self-importance. But Marluxia's talent for reading people was ahead of Vexen's every slight movement. He stepped closer still.

"Marluxia," Vexen uttered uneasily, "you have to understand. The boy is stronger than he should be! Given he had to have been improving after all that work, but regardless, it s not natural! I gave it my every last bit of power in attempt to deal with him, I can promise you that!"

"Oh, but that's the problem, Vexen," Marluxia said with an edge of malice in his voice, "you see, it's become exceedingly clear to me that you are no longer an asset to the Organization, and I won't have someone so..." he paused, eyeing Vexen's face, "**incompetent**...in what is soon to be _my_ Organization."

Vexen shook his head, seeing the scythe as it formed in the other Nobody s hand. His eyes grew wide, and he backed up further. He knew, no matter how much he boasted of being superior to Marluxia, that Marluxia was one of the strongest members of the Organization. If it was Marluxia's intent to eliminate him, there'd be nothing that would stop it from happening. Even if Vexen were at full strength at this moment, he would stand no chance. But he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He could at least salvage some of his pride by going down fighting. Or least, he hoped so.

It was a very short fight. Vexen fought admirably, but in the end, he fell. He was no match for Marluxia as it were, and he was already drained from the battle with Sora. Marluxia lowered his scythe, pointing it again at Vexen. Vexen was shaking. He slowly shook his head, his eyes wider than ever.

"Marluxia," he almost sobbed the name. "Marluxia, please. I don't want to die!"

Marluxia looked at him with cold, cruel indifference.

"Unfortunately, Vexen," he said slowly as he raised his scythe to strike, "I'm afraid we both know that at one point or another, all ice..." he paused for effect, his arm stopped at full height, "ends up being **crushed**."

With one stroke, the Chilly Academic was struck down, never to rise again. Marluxia put away his scythe, watching as Vexen evaporated into Darkness. He then turned, silently, and left, going back to his work. Now that Vexen was no longer a hindrance, things would go much more smoothly.

"Congrats," Larxene said, with an actual note of approval in her voice. She walked over to Marluxia, slowly.

Marluxia was sitting in a chair in a random room, looking at his pink oleander again. He smiled wryly.

"Do I detect a small note of sarcasm?" He glanced at her. He was in a very good mood.

Larxene rolled her eyes, making a sour face. Why couldn't he just take the compliment? Why did he always have to make things into a head game? She walked over and pushed his hand down, getting in his face.

"Hey," she blurted, actually surprising him a little, "knock it off! I'm getting really sick of your stupid attitude!" She stood up straight, crossing her arms.

"I can't believe I actually thought about being happy for you. I never really liked Vexen either," she added. Her tone became lofty. "But you don't deserve it. After all, what do you need my help for? You re so special and perfect, my congratulations would only hit the air and **die**."

She looked back at him at the last word, her tone turning bitter. She wanted to help him, but this shit was getting old.

Marluxia looked at her, giving no clear sign of his reaction. After a moment, he stood up, walking over. Larxene turned away, sulking.

"...Thank you."

Larxene blinked. She scowled, turning to look at him, expecting a sarcastic smile to be playing on his lips. But instead, she found a mellow, seemingly genuine expression. She frowned a bit more, but now a little confused. Then her expression shifted to an annoyed, tight-lipped look of uncaring.

"For what," she muttered, "sucking up? After all, if things keep going like this, I'll be answering to you pretty soon. Might as well get ahead while I can."

Marluxia smiled slightly, regarding her with amusement. Of course she wouldn't admit to actually caring. At least, as much as a Nobody _can_ care. He set a hand on her shoulder. She raised a brow.

"Marluxia...would it kill you to be straight with me for once? I get real sick of your crap sometimes. It's fun when you do it to everyone else, but not me. Especially not right after you talk about how I'm the one person here you can stand. It's a contradiction and it really pisses me off!"

"You should know better by now, Larxene," Marluxia replied, "It's just my way. I find it far better to operate this way. And unfortunately, my nature does not distinguish between people I tolerate and people I despise."

Larxene frowned.

"Well," she said curtly, "I guess that's just **your** problem, isn't it?"

With that, she turned, walked off a ways, then disappeared through the Darkness, probably to go vent her anger on Axel. Marluxia wandered off to conduct more of his own business, not worrying himself about any of this. It wasn't an important matter. His plans, however...they were important.

Steadily, things drew to a close. Riku eliminated Zexion and Lexaeus, and Sora had taken care of everyone else - with the exceptions of Axel, who escaped back to the Castle That Never Was, and Marluxia himself. The final battle came and went, and Marluxia found himself the victor. The Keyblade Wielder was no more. But what did that matter? That was Xemnas plan. But Xemnas was no longer in charge. All at once Marluxia's plan fell together, and then Xemnas was gone, too. Marluxia looked down upon his new subjects, preening. It didn't strike him as odd that the only ones there were those who had helped him. Even though they had returned to the Darkness, they were here.

"So," Marluxia mused aloud, "this is what it s like...to be at the top."


End file.
